Diplomacy

WTO chief says trade must do more to address ‘devastating’ vaccine inequity

The head of the World Trade Organization said on Tuesday that the low COVID-19 vaccination rate of around 4% in Africa was "devastating", saying that trade should help address vaccine…

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WHO’s Tedros wins German backing for second term

BERLIN, Sept 21 (Reuters) - German Health Minister Jens Spahn backed a second term for World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and called on other countries to support the…

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Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown appointed WHO Ambassador for Global Health Financing

The World Health Organization has announced the appointment of Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, as WHO Ambassador for Global Health Financing. Mr Brown is widely credited…

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Are COVID-19 boosters ethical, with half the world waiting for a first shot? A bioethicist weighs in

Nancy S. Jecker Professor of Bioethics and Humanities, School of Medicine, University of Washington Should countries that can afford COVID-19 booster vaccines offer them to residents if scientists recommend them?…

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UN chief warns China, US to avoid new Cold War

Warning of a potential new Cold War, the head of the United Nations implored China and the United States to repair their “completely dysfunctional” relationship before problems between the two…

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WHO’s Tedros looks set to run unopposed for a second term

The World Health Organization's chief looks set to run unopposed for a second term at the helm as tries to guide the world through its biggest health crisis in a…

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World leaders return to U.N. with focus on pandemic, climate

World leaders are returning to the United Nations in New York this week with a focus on boosting efforts to fight both climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, which last…

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Glasgow climate summit at risk of failure, U.N. chief warns

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said a critical meeting on climate change later this year in Scotland is at risk of failure due to mistrust between developed and developing countries…

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U.N. says world likely to miss climate targets despite COVID pause in emissions

ZURICH, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The pace of climate change has not been slowed by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the world remains behind in its battle to cut carbon…

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Blinken denies Taliban blocking Americans from leaving Mazar-i-Sharif

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken denied on Tuesday reports that the Taliban had blocked Americans attempting to fly out of of a northern Afghan city, but said the group had not…

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UN says basic services in Afghanistan are collapsing

Afghanistan is facing the collapse of basic services and food and other aid is about to run out, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on…

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NATO calls on Russia to be transparent with military exercises

NATO's secretary general called on Russia on Friday to be open about its "Zapad-2021" military exercises and the troop numbers involved as alarm grows in Poland, the Baltics and Ukraine…

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Weather disasters killed 2 million in last 50 years, UN agency WMO says

The number of disasters, such as floods and heatwaves, driven by climate change have increased fivefold over the past 50 years, killing more than 2 million people and costing $3.64…

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U.N. rights boss says has credible reports of Taliban executions

Top U.N. human rights official Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday that she had received credible reports of serious violations committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, including summary executions of civilians and restrictions on women…

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Booster COVID-19 shots should be delayed -WHO director-general

-WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that COVID-19 booster shots should be delayed as priority should be given to raising vaccination rates in countries where only 1% or 2% of the…

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WHO seeks ‘best minds’ to probe new pathogens that jump from animals to humans

GENEVA, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday it was looking for the greatest scientific minds to advise on investigations into new high-threat pathogens that…

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France’s Macron urges UN to act with single voice on Afghanistan

Islamist militants will seek to benefit from the turmoil in Afghanistan, said French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, adding that France would do all it could to ensure Russia, the United States…

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Reactions to the ‘Code Red’ U.N. climate science report

Eight years after its last full update on climate science, the United Nations on Monday published a report that delivered even starker warnings about how human-induced climate change is affecting…

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U.N. sounds clarion call over ‘irreversible’ climate impacts by humans

The U.N. climate panel sounded a dire warning Monday, saying the world is dangerously close to runaway warming – and that humans are "unequivocally" to blame. Already, greenhouse gas levels…

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Key takeaways from the U.N. climate panel’s report

The U.N. climate panel has released its most comprehensive assessment of climate change yet. Here are some of the report's main conclusions: See report here HUMANS ARE TO BLAME…

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U.N. climate report likely to deliver stark warnings on global warming

Eight years after its last update on climate science, the United Nations is set to publish a report Monday that will likely deliver even starker warnings about how quickly the…

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Flurry of emissions pledges still not enough to meet global climate goals

Despite a recent flurry of new national emissions pledges, the world is still far away from preventing catastrophic climate change, experts say – noting that major polluters including China and…

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World food prices fall for second month in July

World food prices eased for a second month in a row in July, reflecting declines for cereals, vegetable oils and dairy products, but remained up nearly a third over the…

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More countries hike climate pledges, piling pressure on major emitters

A group of mostly smaller countries submitted new, more ambitious climate pledges to the United Nations this week, raising pressure on big emitters including China to do the same ahead…

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Young lured to tobacco addiction via e-cigarettes – WHO

GENEVA, July 27 (Reuters) - The tobacco industry's sleek marketing is attracting youngsters to e-cigarettes which can lead to tobacco addiction, despite claims by some executives that they aim to…

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WHO proposes fresh mission to China and lab audits

The World Health Organization has proposed a second phase of studies in China into the origins of the coronavirus, including audits of laboratories in Wuhan, but there is no sign…

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Child diseases on rise as COVID-19 slows routine vaccinations -U.N.

Nearly 23 million children missed out on routine vaccinations last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the highest number in more than a decade, fuelling outbreaks of measles, polio and…

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WHO panel advises against COVID-19 vaccination proof for travel

The World Health Organization's Emergency Committee on Thursday maintained its stance that proof of COVID-19 vaccination should not be required for international travel, amid a growing debate on blocking the…

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UNHCR warns of imminent humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning of a looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as the escalating conflict brings increased human suffering and civilian displacement. An estimated 270,000 Afghans have…

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WHO warns against mixing and matching COVID vaccines

The World Health Organization's chief scientist on Monday advised against people mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines from different manufacturers, calling it a "dangerous trend" since there was little data available about the…

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World hunger, malnutrition soared last year mostly due to COVID-19 – U.N. agencies

World hunger and malnutrition levels worsened dramatically last year, with most of the increase likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a multi-agency United Nations (U.N.) report published on…

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Question open on need for COVID booster shot, data awaited, WHO says

The World Health Organization said on Friday that it was not clear whether COVID-19 booster vaccines will be needed to maintain protection, until further data is collected. Pfizer Inc plans…

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More than 8,500 children used as soldiers in 2020: U.N.

More than 8,500 children were used as soldiers last year in various conflicts across the world and nearly 2,700 others were killed, the United Nations said on Monday. U.N. chief Antonio Guterres' annual report to…

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WHO chief scientist disappointed by CureVac trial

The World Health Organization's chief scientist said on Friday that results from the CureVac COVID-19 vaccine's initial trial were disappointing. German biotech firm CureVac' vaccine proved only 47% effective in…

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WHO Europe head warns of the spread of the more transmissible delta variant

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned European countries against becoming complacent in their efforts to put an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Across the continent, governments have been increasingly…

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UPDATED: U.N. chief Guterres appointed for second term

The 193-member United Nations General Assembly on Friday appointed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a second five-year term, beginning on Jan. 1, 2022. Guterres succeeded Ban Ki-moon in January 2017, just…

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U.N. adopts new measures to cut ship emissions, critics call for more

The U.N. shipping agency approved further measures to boost the energy efficiency of commercial vessels although critics said the move fell short of what was needed to cut the industry's…

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Number of people forced to flee homes has risen, says U.N.

The number of people forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution and human rights abuses has doubled in the past decade to reach 82.4 million at the end…

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After NATO, Biden turns to EU for renewal of transatlantic ties

U.S. President Joe Biden will intensify his post-Trump push to renew transatlantic relations on Tuesday, meeting with European Union leaders to cool trade tensions and join forces to beat COVID-19, uphold democracy and…

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UPDATED: At NATO, Biden says defence of Europe a “sacred obligation”

U.S. President Joe Biden told fellow NATO leaders on Monday the defence of Europe, Turkey and Canada was a "sacred obligation" for the United States, a marked shift from his…

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Decisions for NATO’s first summit with Biden

NATO leaders hold their first summit with U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday, aiming to repair transatlantic ties after his predecessor Donald Trump said the Western military alliance was "obsolete".…

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UPDATED: G7 calls for study in China on COVID origins, agree on increased climate finance

Group of Seven leaders called for a transparent, science-based study, including in China, into the origins of COVID-19, to be convened by the World Health Organization, a draft communique showed.…

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UPDATED: G7 provides 1 billion COVID vaccine doses, will work to give more – communique

Group of Seven countries will provide 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses over the next year and work with the private sector, the G20 and other countries to increase the contribution…

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Malta’s UN Permanent Representative elected Chair of the UN Economic and Financial Committee

Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, Malta's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has been elected Chair of the UN Second Committee (Economic and Financial Committee) for the 76th Session of the UN…

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What is a global minimum tax and what will it mean?

Finance Ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations have said they are close to a landmark accord setting a global minimum corporate tax rate, an agreement that could…

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UPDATED: G7 nations near historic deal on taxing multinationals

Group of Seven rich nations will seek to overcome long-standing differences on Saturday and strike a landmark deal to close the net on large companies that they say do not…

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U.N. refugee agency scorns Denmark’s law on asylum claims

The U.N. refugee agency has voiced strong opposition to a law passed by Denmark's parliament that would allow processing of claims lodged by asylum seekers outside Europe, calling it an…

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World food price index surges in May to highest level since 2011 -FAO

World food prices rose in May at their fastest monthly rate in more than a decade, posting a 12th consecutive monthly increase to hit their highest level since September 2011,…

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No recovery in global jobs market from pandemic until at least 2023 – ILO

At least 220 million people are expected to remain unemployed globally this year, well above pre-pandemic levels, with a weak labour market recovery exacerbating existing inequalities, the International Labour Organization…

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WHO approves Sinovac COVID shot in second Chinese milestone

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced it has approved a COVID-19 vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech for emergency use listing, paving the way for a second Chinese shot to be…

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WHO faces potential shake-up

The World Health Organization, battling to coordinate the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, agreed on Monday to study recommendations for ambitious reforms made by independent experts to strengthen the…

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Nature funding must triple by 2030 to protect land, wildlife and climate

Global annual spending to protect and restore nature needs to triple this decade to about $350 billion by 2030 and rise to $536 billion by 2050, a U.N. report said…

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Pressure builds for schools to put climate change study on curriculum

International bodies and pressure groups are calling for climate change studies to become a standard part of the school curriculum worldwide, saying the step is vital to reach targets on…

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Diplomats say Turkey pushed NATO allies into softening outrage over Belarus plane

Turkey pushed NATO allies into watering down an official reaction to the forced landing by Belarus of a passenger plane and the detention of a dissident journalist on Sunday, two…

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Rising global temperatures ‘inexorably closer’ to climate tipping point – U.N.

There is now a 40% chance that global temperatures will temporarily reach 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the next five years -- and these odds are rising, a…

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EU partly to blame for Mediterranean migrant deaths -UN

The European Union is partly to blame for deaths of migrants taking boats across the Mediterranean due to unanswered distress calls, obstruction of humanitarian rescue efforts, and so-called “pushbacks” to…

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In climate push, G7 agrees to stop international funding for coal

The world’s seven largest advanced economies agreed to stop international financing of coal projects that emit carbon by the end of this year, and phase out such support for all…

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